Chapter 38

“Are you really willing to meet my grandfather?” After hanging up, Zhou Jingyu, having reined in his emotions from the call, asked Wen Tang seriously.

In truth, Wen Tang had acted on impulse and sympathy.

Ah.

It was just an old man. Meeting him wasn’t such a big deal, right?

Given that she was currently embroiled in rumors and had plenty of time off, it seemed manageable.

But now, having agreed so readily, she was starting to worry. Would her rumors affect his impression of her?

What if he didn’t like her when they met?

For the first time, Wen Tang felt the nerves of meeting the parents.

She answered with a question, anxiously looking at Zhou Jingyu, “Will your grandfather be very picky?”

Zhou Jingyu, waiting for her response, shook his head and laughed.

How could she be so bold?

Agreeing to meet his elders after just one day of dating, without considering the consequences, and only now starting to worry.

“Don’t worry,” he said, pulling her closer and speaking softly, “Even though my grandfather is strict, he’s much better now than before. You’re so beautiful, he’ll definitely like you.”

He complimented her beauty!

Let’s just assume he meant it.

Feeling reassured, Wen Tang settled her mind and moved on to the next issue.

“Should I bring a gift when I meet him tomorrow?” she asked, blinking.

For a first visit, it’s customary to bring a gift, right?

Zhou Jingyu shook his head. “No need to bring anything. My grandfather doesn’t need much. Just your presence will make him happy. If you must bring something, just buy some fruit.”

He gently brushed Wen Tang’s hair from her face, taking on the task of buying fruit himself. “Leave it to me. I’ll handle it.”

With this reassurance, Wen Tang nodded, feeling less anxious. Not one to make a fuss over trivial matters, she decided to finish watching the movie with Zhou Jingyu.

In the midst of screams and shivering, they spent the last few minutes of the film.

After leaving the cinema, Wen Tang’s legs felt weak from the fright.

Zhou Jingyu had to support her.

With the movie over, it was time for dinner. The butler had already inquired about dinner plans when Zhou Jingyu and Wen Tang arrived. Zhou Jingyu thought that since Wen Tang wanted to go out, a dinner date was a good idea—something more satisfying than just watching a movie in a crowded place.

Just to avoid being seen by too many people.

Instead of having the butler prepare dinner, they went to a private restaurant, a membership-only place that offers good food and values customer privacy.

After dinner, they returned to the apartment around 9 p.m.

At this time, they should have gone home, washed up, and gone to bed.

However, Wen Tang had just watched a terrifying horror movie, and the aftereffects were hitting her.

She was afraid to be alone in the house.

Standing at the door, Wen Tang clung to Zhou Jingyu’s hand, looking at him with pleading eyes, “Boyfriend, don’t leave me alone. I’m scared~”

Zhou Jingyu, who had intended to send her home and return to his own place, was taken aback. He hadn’t expected that, after officially becoming a couple, she would be so clingy.

But what could he do?

His girlfriend, he had to pamper her.

So, Zhou Jingyu went back to Wen Tang’s place, waiting for her to shower, drying her hair afterward, and watching her do her skincare routine. The entire process took nearly an hour and a half.

By the time he got Wen Tang settled in bed, it was already 10:30 p.m.

“Sleep well,” Zhou Jingyu said, pulling the blanket over her. “Good night.”

Knowing she was scared, he left a light on before leaving.

He thought that after putting Wen Tang to bed, it would be all settled. But to his surprise, just after he got home and finished his own shower, the doorbell rang.

At this time, it was obvious who was ringing the doorbell.

Zhou Jingyu answered the door in his bathrobe and found his new girlfriend, in her pajamas, looking pitiful and with her ears drooping.

Without a word, Wen Tang threw herself into his arms.

Zhou Jingyu naturally wrapped his arms around her waist.

Thanks to the horror movie, he had developed a conditioned reflex to her affectionate gestures.

“What’s wrong?” he asked patiently, looking down at her.

Wen Tang buried her face in his chest and said muffledly, “I’m scared.”

Even with the light on, she was frightened by every little noise. She was so nervous that even the slightest movement of the curtains made her shiver.

There was nothing for it but to seek comfort from her boyfriend.

She complained, looking up at Zhou Jingyu, “I can’t sleep when you’re gone.”

Seeing her eyes filled with a need for dependency, Zhou Jingyu’s heart softened immediately.

“What do you want to do?”

He sighed and asked.

It was too soon to be living together on the first day.

Too fast.

Hearing the implied refusal in Zhou Jingyu’s words, Wen Tang frowned but didn’t answer. She just hugged him tightly and wouldn’t let go.

For Wen Tang, once they were officially together, there was no particular need for things to progress in a certain way. Everything was relaxed and natural. She had always approached her relationships this way, never shying away from discussing physiological needs.

However, saying such things to Zhou Jingyu herself felt different.

No matter what, she wasn’t going to let him leave tonight, or she’d definitely have trouble sleeping.

Zhou Jingyu couldn’t push Wen Tang away, nor did he want to. The two of them stood at the door for a while before Zhou Jingyu finally gave in.

He took Wen Tang’s hand and recorded her fingerprint on the fingerprint lock.

“From now on, you can come and go as you please without needing to knock.”

Then, he closed the door and led her to the opposite side, to her door.

Her door also had a fingerprint lock. Zhou Jingyu had just recorded her fingerprint, and after a moment’s hesitation, Wen Tang operated the fingerprint lock and then turned to look at Zhou Jingyu.

“I’ll record your fingerprint too, so it’s more convenient for you to come and go,” Wen Tang said.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Jingyu shook his head and didn’t place his hand on the sensor.

“I’m different from you. You’re a girl, and I’m a man.”

Zhou Jingyu maintained his boundaries, saying, “We can talk about this later.”

Wen Tang was surprised but felt relieved at the same time.

Allowing Zhou Jingyu into her home was one thing; giving him the right to come and go freely was another.

Her previous boyfriends had never had such unrestricted access.

Fortunately, Zhou Jingyu had taken the initiative to refuse.

Zhou Jingyu once again escorted Wen Tang back to her room.

This time, he waited until she fell asleep before leaving.

The impact of the horror movie was greater than anticipated. In the middle of the night, Wen Tang woke up from a nightmare and, as expected, didn’t see Zhou Jingyu.

Unable to sleep and feeling thirsty, she went out to get some water and found Zhou Jingyu asleep on the sofa in the living room.

When Zhou Jingyu was asleep, the distant, aloof aura he usually had was completely gone. His features were perfectly defined, even in sleep he looked more handsome than anyone else. Wen Tang quietly approached, mesmerized by his sleeping face, thinking how good-looking he was and that such a person was now hers.

Zhou Jingyu was lying on the sofa covered with a thin blanket, which seemed to be from her spare room.

After getting her water, Wen Tang quietly retrieved another blanket from her bed and added it to the sofa. The next morning, Zhou Jingyu woke up to find Wen Tang sleeping on the sofa beside him, though he didn’t know when she had fallen asleep there.

In the days leading up to this, Zhou Jingyu had been preoccupied with thoughts of Wen Tang, which affected his sleep. Although he had slept on Wen Tang’s sofa last night, he finally felt well-rested.

When Wen Tang woke up, the sun was already up.

She sat up on the sofa and stretched.

Looking around, she didn’t see Zhou Jingyu.

Had he left?

Just as Wen Tang was about to go wash up, she heard noises coming from the kitchen and went over to investigate.

Zhou Jingyu was in the kitchen making porridge, still wearing the bathrobe from last night.

“You’re up?” Zhou Jingyu asked when he saw Wen Tang.

Wen Tang nodded. He looked too good—broad shoulders and narrow hips, every movement like a piece of art. She couldn’t resist, walking over and hugging his waist from behind.

“Mmm.”

With her head resting on his back, she nodded. After she had hugged enough, she peeked over his shoulder to see what he was cooking.

“The porridge will be ready soon. You can go wash up first,” Zhou Jingyu said softly, noticing her actions.

Wen Tang nodded again, “Oh, okay.”

So she went to freshen up.

After washing up and changing into a fresh set of clothes, she came out to find that Zhou Jingyu had set the table with the porridge, boiled eggs, and two side dishes.

“Eat a little now, and we’ll go have something nice for lunch,” Zhou Jingyu said, serving her a bowl of porridge.

Wen Tang took it from him.

“What are we having for lunch?” she asked casually.

They were going to visit Zhou Jingyu’s grandfather in the morning, and by the time they finished, it would be around lunchtime.

Zhou Jingyu asked, “What do you want to eat?”

Wen Tang thought for a while. She liked hotpot, but they had it a few days ago, so she couldn’t have it again so soon.

At a loss for what to eat, she said, “…We’ll decide later.”

The simple side dishes Zhou Jingyu made were refreshing and delicious. Wen Tang finished a bowl of porridge, ate an egg, and half of the side dishes. The other half went into Zhou Jingyu’s stomach.

Feeling her stomach was full, Wen Tang suddenly felt a pang of anxiety.

Living with Zhou Jingyu, being watched over for every meal, would she end up getting fat?

This was unacceptable!

In the living room, there was a scale to keep track of her weight.

The moment after finishing her meal, Wen Tang dashed to the scale and stepped on it with Zhou Jingyu looking on in shock.

Then came a loud wail—

“Ah, oh my god, I’ve gained 0.54 kilograms, which is more than a pound!!!”

Even gaining just a pound felt like the sky was falling.

Zhou Jingyu walked over to see how much she weighed.

However, Wen Tang covered the scale, “No peeking, go away! Go away!!”

A girl’s age and weight should not be exposed, especially not when she has gained weight!

Oh no, why did she eat so much?

Why did she swallow that bowl of porridge, why did she eat that egg, and why was she so greedy, eating so many side dishes!

It was a sin!

Zhou Jingyu couldn’t understand why Wen Tang was reacting so dramatically to gaining a pound.

To him, she was so thin, just bones, when he held her.

And gaining a little weight after a meal was normal, wasn’t it?

To prevent Zhou Jingyu from interfering, Wen Tang pushed him towards the kitchen to wash the dishes.

After washing the dishes, Zhou Jingyu had to go back home to change clothes before they could visit the sanatorium to see Zhou Donghai.

While waiting for Zhou Jingyu on the sofa, Wen Tang picked up her phone and checked Weibo.

Just as Ke Xin and the others had said, her issue had been gradually suppressed by the company. The flood of negative comments had diminished compared to the previous day.

Moreover, a critically ill patient from the car accident had been declared out of danger. No fatalities had occurred; as long as the compensation was sufficient, the situation could be downplayed.

However, the incident had still impacted her reputation.

People online were still mocking her, accusing her of being fickle and temperamental, and allowing her family to do wrong.

She admitted to being fickle and having a temper, but condoning family wrongdoing?

The word “family” seemed like a joke to Wen Tang.